Donna’s Day: Make cheap and sweet ‘glam’ cleaning gloves

It’s easy and fun to dress up drab latex rubber gloves with perky cuffs. Add rickrack, bows or sparkling brooches for extra bling and your household cleaning chores won’t seem so humdrum. Your kids can help with the fabric choice, measuring and cutting.

Once you get going, make several pairs. They’re fun to tuck in a basket of items for a shower or housewarming gift for a new family on the block — a whimsical homemade gift from you and your kids!

Here’s the stuff you’ll need:

• One pair of rubber gloves with cuffs in the quality and color you prefer, available at grocery and discount stores for a few dollars.

• 1/4 yard of oilcloth or water-resistant stiff fabric that is at least 36 inches wide.

• Measuring tape, marker, scissors and straight pins.

• Sewing machine and thread.

• A glue-gun to attach decorative add-ons such as ribbon, bows, rickrack and buttons if you wish. Or, pin on a brooch. You also may decide to cut the edges with pinking shears.

Here’s The Fun

Directions for one glove:

Trim off the edge of the glove and make the cuff shorter for a comfortable fit.

Cut fabric 4 inches wide by at least 18 inches long. If you prefer fuller ruffles, make it longer.

Let your child mark 2-inch intervals along the edge and then make small knife pleats at each mark. Pin and sew the pleats in place with stitches running close to the edge. Remove pins. Note: Once I got the hang of it, I created the pleats one by one as I sewed.

Bring the 4-inch edges of the fabric right sides together, pin and sew a 1/4-inch seam to create a circular, pleated fabric ready to attach to the glove.

Ease the pleated cuff wrong side out over the right side of the glove and pin in place.

I placed the 4-inch-long seam above the thumb side of the glove. If the pleated cuff is too large, add another pleat. Remove pins as you sew 1/2-inch from the edge.

Turn cuff over the seam and fluff the pleats. Repeat with second glove.

For extra pizzazz, use your imagination and items in your craft box to decorate the gloves with add-ons. A glue gun works quickly.